FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- Down to its final two outs of the game and facing a possible sweep, the Fairfield University softball rallied for a run in the bottom of the seventh inning and added another in its half of the eighth inning to complete a 3-2 come-from-behind win over Siena College and salvaging a split with the Saints at Alumni Softball Field. And on Senior Day, it was only appropriate that the class of 2018 play a significant role in the game-deciding run in the team's last at-bat of the day.

Junior Courtney Hankins came to the plate with the Stags down a run in the bottom of the seventh, knowing that something magical had to happen and it had to happen quickly. So, the first baseman ripped a pitch over the left field fence for a solo home run, her fifth of the season that tied the game at 2-2 with one out. Fairfield could not string together any more base runners and that's how the inning ended. Lauryn Rhinehart threw seven-plus innings in the second game before giving way to Destinee Pallotto. The senior kept the visiting team off the scoreboard in its half of the eighth inning, bringing the Stags back to the batter's box with a chance to win the game.

Makenna DiGuilio started the inning with a single to right field, the first of three straight singles by three of the team's seniors. After a sacrifice bunt try failed, Kate Robinson stepped to the plate and promptly pulled a pitch down the third base line for a single that sent DiGuilio into scoring position. Rachel Sieber found the hole between shortstop and third base but the ball was quickly picked up the left fielder which did not allow DiGuilio to continue past third base. With the bases loaded, freshman Mikayla Rubin was next in the batting order and infielder sent the ball to center field on the fly, allowing DiGuilio to tag third and run home with the game-ending run.

Hankins was also involved in the Stags' first run of the game when she sent a ball into the left-center field gap for a double, bringing up Angelina McGuire to the plate. The outfielder hit a ball almost to the same spot as Hankins, resulting in an RBI double that tied the game at 1-1. Siena took the lead in the fifth inning when Loryn DeFalco sent a pitch over the left field fence to push the visitors back in front by a 2-1 count, a lead that Siena would keep until Hankins' heroics.

The Stags were not as fortunate in the first game as they dropped a 3-2 decision to the Saints despite a solid pitching performance from Pallotto. The right hander allowed two unearned runs in the fourth inning and a single run in the fifth inning that turned a 1-0 Fairfield lead into a 3-1 Siena advantage. The Stags plated another run in the bottom of the fifth when Hankins laced an RBI single to center field that brought Sam Merino home with the team's second run of the game.

McGuire and Hankins both had a pair of hits in the first game with Hankins getting credit for the team's only RBI of the game. Pallotto fanned eight hitters, walked one, and yielded seven hits in her seven innings of work.

The Stags take a break from Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play this week by playing a single game against Sacred Heart University at Alumni Softball Field before hosting Central Connecticut State University for a doubleheader on Wednesday.